Book-holder for musical instruments



(No Model.)

W. J. HOWELL. BOOK HOLDER FOR MUSIOAL INSTRUMENTS.

Patented July 1, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM J. IIOIVELL, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

BOOK-HOLDER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,356, dated July 1, 1890.

Application filed December 9, 1889. Serial No. 333,133. (No model.)

To ttZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, IVILLIAM J. I-IOWELL, a British subject, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Holders for Musical Instruments; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in book-holders for musical i11- struments, especially adapted for organs and pianos; and itcon sistsin a certain construction and arrangement of parts whereby a book of music may be held open upon the instrument at the page containing the piece to be played and the leaves of the book prevented from turning, except When turned by the operator, all of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and the essential features of the device pointed out particularly in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a view ofmy improved device attached to the front board of an organ, showing it as holding open a book of music. Fig. 2 is an inverted view of the device as attached to a base or the under side of the front board of an organ, the board being broken away. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of said figure, a portion of the front board or base being broken away, showing the crank-rod passing therethrough, and also showing the means of securing the foot to the end of said rod.

' Referring to the letters of reference, A indicates the front board of an organ, (or it may be a boX or a baseboard,) having the angleblocks 5 s secured to the under face thereof near its upper back edge. The upper end of the spring-arms f f are bolted to the inclined face of the blocks .9 s, respectively, the lower ends of said arms being coupled by the crossbar f, secured thereto. The rods t t and t pass loosely through the front board A and are journaled in the cross-bar f, their inner ends being provided with the crank portion e, the free ends of which are journaled in the connecting-bar b, and secured thereto by means of the washer 1; and pin '0, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 45. The outer ends of the crank-rods extend through the front board A, the end of the center rod t carrying the knob a, and the ends of the rods t 25 carrying the feet C6 a, respectively, that are screw-threaded to receive the end of said rod, as clearly shown in Fig. at. The tension of the springarms f f holds the feet a a against the outer face of the front board A when not employed in holding a book.

lNhen desired to use the device for holding a book open, the knob a is pulled outward. The springs f f, yielding, allow the feet on to be drawn away from the outer face of the front board A. The book is then placed on the stop or cleat c and the knob a released, when the spring-arms f f will draw the feet a a back against the lower margin of the page of the open book 13, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, thus firmly holding the open book upon the instrument and securing the leaves thereof from turning.

WVhen it is desired to turn the leaves of the book, the knob a is pulled outward, drawing the feet away from the page of the book. Then by turning the knob a the rod t is rotated, the crank e of which being journaled in the connecting-bar b said bar is moved laterally, and the cranks e e of the rods 15 t, being also journaled in the bar I), are moved therewith, rotatingt-he rods t tand swinging the feet a at around, so as to permit of the free turning of the leaves, as clearly shown by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3, when by means of the knob a the feet 0, a may be swung back and the leaves again secured, as before described, and shown in Fig. 1.

The operation of swinging the feet a a to permit of the turning of the leaves of the book may be performed very quickly and so as not to interrupt the operator when play in g a piece of music written on several pages of the book, and the force of the spring-arms ff is su (licient to securely hold the book open and prevent the leaves from turning, except when turned by the operator, as above described.

It will be observed that the crank-arms pass through the bar mounted on the ends of the springs f and carry on their crank portions a coupling-bar 1), whereby as the operator lifts on the knob a said bars are raised as the springs yield, whereby the ends of the rods carrying the feet are projected, and When the knob a is released the springs force the feet back to the former position.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with the base, the series of crank-rods passing through said base, the central rod having the knob, the crank-rods on each side of the central rod having a foot on the outer end thereof, the barf and coupling-barbeing coupled to said rods, the springs mounted on the base, their free ends supportin g the barf, as andfor the purposes specified.

2. In a book-holding device for musical instruments, the combination of the base, the series of crank-rods passing through the base, the springs attached to one edge of the back of said base, the bar coupling the free ends of said springs, the series of rods journaled in the barf, the coupling-bar journaled to the 

